Choose a fixed target
MacMusicKeys is for one narrow rule: the four media keys go to Music or Spotify. If you want those keys to control YouTube, VLC, or another player, its closed Media Target set is a limitation.
Three ways to route four keys
MacMusicKeys vs BeardedSpice
and MacMediaKeyForwarder
All three change what Play, Pause, Next, and Previous control on a Mac. The meaningful difference is scope: two desktop players, a broad set of browser and app handlers, or an iTunes-and-Spotify forwarder.
Compared from published project documentation · checked 17 August 2026
The routing matrix
Scroll sideways to see every column on a narrow screen.
| What matters | MacMusicKeys | BeardedSpice | MacMediaKeyForwarder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maintenance posture | Current commercial release: 1.1.0, published 15 August 2026. | Latest GitHub release is v2.2.3 from 2017; the last repository commit was in 2021. | Latest release in the original repository is 3.1, published in October 2019. |
| Players supported | Music or Spotify only. The Media Target set is intentionally closed. | Many documented web players in Safari, Chrome, and Vivaldi, plus native apps including iTunes, Spotify, VLC, VOX, Downcast, and TIDAL. | iTunes and Spotify directly. It can instead use its default behavior and follow the running player. |
| Routing style | Menu-bar target selection. Browser tabs are never targets, and the choice stays fixed until you change it. | Menu-bar active-player selection across supported browser tabs and native apps. Smart Mode can choose a playing or focused tab. | Menu-bar priority selection for Music or Spotify, with an optional default-behavior mode. |
| Permissions | Accessibility to capture the keys; Automation to control Music or Spotify. Setup guides both. | For Safari control, its README says to enable Safari’s developer preference. The README does not document a separate general permission setup. | Accessibility to capture the keys; Automation to control iTunes or Spotify. |
| Price | $3.65 USD per year for up to five Macs. | Free download from its GitHub project. | Free and source-available under the Unlicense. |
| Trial | 7 days. No card is needed, and the clock starts only after setup when you click Start. | No time-limited trial; the project is free to download. | No time-limited trial; the project is free to download. |
| Published macOS floor | macOS 13 Ventura or later. | OS X 10.10 or later in the project README. That is a documented floor, not a current-version compatibility guarantee. | No minimum version is stated. The README documents setup on Mojave, and release 3.0 is labeled Catalina compatible. |
Which scope fits?
Include browser media
BeardedSpice was built around supported websites and a wider set of native apps. Its published release and compatibility information is older, so evaluate it on the macOS version and browser you use.
Use an open-source forwarder
MacMediaKeyForwarder is the closest match in scope. Its repository documents direct iTunes and Spotify routing, but its published release and compatibility information is older.
Sources and limits
This is a feature and maintenance comparison, not a benchmark or a claim that one app works on every Mac. Competitor facts come from their own published project pages:
- BeardedSpice README, releases, and repository history
- MacMediaKeyForwarder README and releases
If those projects change after 17 August 2026, their own documentation is authoritative.
Want the narrow option?
Try MacMusicKeys with Music or Spotify. The trial starts when you say so.
Download MacMusicKeysThen $3.65/year · Pricing